Hurst



(No Model.) 2 sheets-11m 1.

S. R. PARKHURST. I MACHINE FOR PIGKING, OPENINGHAND MIXING WOOL. No.267,454. Patented NOV. 14; 1882.

N. PETERS. PholoLilhogmpher, wnhin mn. RC.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

s. R.'PARKIE[URST. MACHINE FOR PICKING, OPENING,AND MIXING WOOL. N0.267,454.

Patented Nov. 14, 1882.

N. PETERS. Pholn-Lilhognpller. wumn xon, 0. c,

STEPHEN It. PARKHUBST, 0F MONTOLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO EMILY R.PARKHURST, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FIOR PICKING, OPENING, AND MIXING WOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,454,dated November14, 1882.

Application filed August 25, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN R. PARK- HURsT,of Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, haveinvented an Improvement in Machines for Picking, Opening, and MixinglVool, of which the following is a specification.

This machine is designed for opening wool or other fiber and mixingdifi'erent qualities or colors of wool, and it is designed to take theplace of the ordinary picker, which in practice is found to be dangerousin consequence of the risk of fire, and it also is liable to injure theWool by cutting or breaking it by the very rapid motion of the parts.Belts with teeth have been made use of in feeding wool intocleaning-machines, but they are costly, and not adapted to act directlyin opening the fiber.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the improved machine.Fig. 2 is a partial plan of the machine at one side. Fig. 3 is a plan,and Fig. 4 a section at a: 00, of some of the slats of the feeding-belt.

vI make use of slats a a, of steel or similar material, the same beingunited together to form an endless belt or apron by means of the hingesZ) I). which are applied at or near the ends of the slats, and also inone or more intermediate lines lengthwise of the belt, so that each slatis hinged to the adjacent slats at or near the ends and at one or moreintermediate places. I prefer to unite these slats together by ranges ofhinges placed about six inches apart. Each slat has one or more rangesof teeth, 0 c. I prefer and use triangular teeth, each formed by a punchand die that cut through the metal at an acute angle and bend the toothso that it stands up from the surface of the slat. Slats made in thismanner are adapted to thefeeding-aprons of woolen machinery of variouskinds-such as picking, combing, and carding machines-and I have shown anapron of said slats as passing around the cylinder E and forming thesurface of teeth for the same, as hereinafter set forth. The teeth pointtoward one edge of the slat, and

- are in the'body of the slats and not at the edge or edges, assometimes heretofore made use of.

For the purpose of picking, opening, or mixing wool or other fibrousmaterials I employ the aforesaid toothed slats in the manner nextdescribed.

belt D passes around the roller g, beneath the guide-rollers h h, andover the feeding-cylinder 70. This cylinder 70 is driven by suitablepower applied by a belt or otherwise to a pulley or wheel upon itsshaft, and it is preferable to employ two pulleys-one on the shaft ofthe cylinder 70, the other on the shaft of the roller gand an endlessbelt around such pulleys, as shown by dotted lines, so that the endlessfeeding-beltD will be moved with regularity in the direction indicatedby the arrow. This feeding-belt D, of steel slats a, hinged together andprovided with teeth, forms the bottom of a hopper, and the disksfformthe ends. Into this hopper the wool or other fiber to be operated uponis placed in mass, and hence it is rolled over and over by the movementof the feeding-belt that forms the bottom of the hopper. The teeth ofthe belt become full of the fiber and convey such fiber to the placewhere it is delivered to the picking, opening, burring, cleaning, orcarding mechanism.

This improved feeding-hopper mixes thoroughly the different qualities orcolors of wool or other fiber, and the belt conveys away a regular ornearly regular quantity of fiber by the teeth, and the movement of theparts is not as rapid as in the ordinary picker-machine. Hence there islittle or no risk of fire from friction, or from the steel striking fireagainst particles'of grit or other foreign substances.

I have represented this improved belt of toothed slats and the mixingand feeding hopper as combined with the toothed opening-cylinder F,cylinder E, and brush G. The teeth on the cylinder F act to hold thefibers and draw them oft into the teeth 0 of the belt of slats a, andthe fiber is further opened and separated by the teeth of the cylinderE. I have shown the cylinder F as made with a surface of steel slats andteeth, and the cylinderE as having an endless belt of slats a,with teeth0, the said belt passing over the roller 1, the shaft of which issupported by bearings 011 the frame (I.

The journal-boxes a of the cylinder E are in the form of brackets thatextend from the frame (I in between the disks f, so that the shaft ofthis cylinder will be supported-within the hopper, and the bracketjournal-boxes extending beyond the edges of the disks j do not interferewith the rotation of said disks. The slats a of the comber a also passfreely in between the disksf.

The gear-wheels r s t connect the respective cylinders 70 E F, and theseare preferably proportioned so that the surface of F travels slower thanthat of 7c and the surface of E travels faster than that of F or k.These relative speeds cause the teeth to open the fiber withoutunnecessary strain, and the teeth of 7c and F are cleaned by therevolving brush-blower that takes away the fiberin the usual manner. Awire screen, 1;, over a box, w, allows particles of burrs and foreignsubstances to fall away from the fiber as it is delivered by the brush.Particles ofburrs, sand, and other foreign matters can fall throughbetween the slats a, and also through the holes beneath the teeth, and Iprovidea curved metallic plate or sh elf, y, between the upper and lowerportions of the feeding-belt to form a receptacle or dirt-catcher forreceiving-these foreign substances and preventing them lodging on theinner surface of the lower portion of the feeding-belt.

The guard at It serves to protect the operatives from contact with thefeeding-belt when supplying the fiber in mass into the hopper.

In consequence of the combing-belt a being made of slats and standing atan inclination there is time for looks ofwool to fall away into thehopper, whereas ifonly a combing-cylinder were used thelocks of woolmight be carried up bodily and over such cylinder, instead of remainingin the hopper until the wool is taken off in detail by the teeth of theslats. A brush or doffer may be used, as shown by dotted lines at 0 tothrow back into the hopper wool that may adhere in lumps to theascending side of the combing-belt a.

It will be apparent that if the cylinder E had teeth on its surface itmight, under some circumstances, be used in place of the belt a.

If desired, the wool may be oiled while in the hopper by a sprinkler, z,to which oil is admitted in the proper quantity.

I am aware that metal slats have been used for the aprons of cardingmachines. They, however, have been fastened upon leather belts. Thesestretch and the apron becomes loose and unreliable.

I am also aware that a metal band having teeth punched therein has beenwrapped around a cylinder to form a picking-surface.

By my improvement I am able to insure great permanence and reliabilityin the feed-apron.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A feeding-belt having the slats formed ofsheet metal, with teeth in the sheet metal, in combination with metalhinges for uniting the slats, substantially as specified.

2. In a feeding-hopper, the combination of disks that are at the ends ofthe hopper with an endless belt having teeth that passes beneath thedisks, and rollers or cylinders g k for moving such belt, and rollers ILfor distending such belt into its proper position, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with a feeding-belt ha"- ing teeth, of rollers orcylinders around which such belt passes, an opening-cylinder, F, hav ingteeth, a cylinder, E, combing-belted, and delivery-brush G, and meansfor operating the several parts, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the feeding-belt having teeth and the disksforming the ends of the hopper, of an opening-cylinder, F, cylinders land E, and an endless apron forming a comber, a, and means for operatingthe several parts, substantially as set forth.

5. A feedinghopper composed of a belt of slats with teeth anddisks, incombination with a dirt-catcher introduced between the upper and lowerparts of the endless belt, and means for operating such belt,substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, with the feeding and opening cylinders, of afeeding-belt, a belt of toothed slats, a, occupying an inclined positionabove the feeding-belt and acting as a comber, and the rollers orcylinders around which such belts pass, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 23d (lay of August, A. D. 188i.

, S. R. PARKHUI-LST.

Witnesses GEO. T. PINCKNEY, CHAS- H. SMITH.

